Dr. Stefan Dollinger

Stefan’s research combines the approaches of dialectology and sociolinguistics with historical linguistics. Much of his work has focussed on “non-dominant” varieties of bigger languages, especially Canadian English and Austrian German, for a range of variables, from syntax to lexis and phonetics. Since 2008 he has been thinking about the linguistic effects of political borders. Stefan has worked in Austria (Assistant Prof., Vienna University), Germany (Canadian Studies Guest Professor, U Kiel) and Sweden (Full Professor English Linguistics, Gothenburg University). He first joined UBC as a postdoctoral fellow from 2006-09. An area of special interest is the interaction of language variation and the indexing of social meaning, for which both synchronic and diachronic perspectives are combined. He is currently on sabbatical in Victoria, BC, working on his first general audience book, on the “Making of Canadian English”.

Research Interests

Dialectology, sociolinguistics, historical linguistics, and the interactions of these areas